English - AP English Lang. & Comp. Terms Flashcards
Allegory
using something / someone to represent / symbolize something usually dealing with moral truth or a generalization about human existence
anaphora
repetition of words in the beginning of a sentence
antecedent
the word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun
antimetabole
repetition of words in an inverted order to sharpen contrast
ex. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”
apostrophe
figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction, such as liberty or love
asyndeton
leaving out conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses (ex. eggs, milk, bread, jelly, etc.)
clause
a grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb
colloquial / colloquialism
the use of slang or informalities in speech or writing
connotation
non-literal associative meaning of a word; implied, or suggested meaning
denotation
the strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotion, attitude, or color
euphemism
more agreeable or less offensive substitute for a generally unpleasant word or concept
verbal irony
when the words literally mean the opposite of the writer’s meaning
situational irony
when events turn out the opposite of what was expected
dramatic irony
when facts are unknown to a character in a play or piece of fiction but known to the reader, audience, or other characters in the work
litotes
form of understatement that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite (opposite of hyperbole)
Ex. It isnt very serious, it’s just a little tumor on the brain
metonymy
substituted name for another that is closely associated with the original subject
onomatopoeia
sounds
ex. harrumph, boom, pow, etc.
parallelism
involves a repetition of grammatical elements such as a preposition or verbal phrase
periodic sentence
presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end of the sentence
loose sentence
presents its central meaning in a main clause at the beginning of a sentence
polysyndeton
the deliberate use of a series of conjunctions
ex. get the eggs and milk and butter and jelly.
subordinate clause (3)
contains a subject and a verb
cannot stand alone, doesn’t express a complete thought
dependent clause
synecdoche
a part of something that represents something that is used to represent the whole, or, occasionally, the whole is used to represent a part
synesthesia
when one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjunctive experience of another
(when a sense is used in a piece of writing that has an effect…?)
syntax
how the author joins words together
Aphorism
A terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or a moral principle
Can be a memorable summation of the author’s point
zeugma
a construction in which on word (usually a verb) modifies or governs - often in different, sometimes incongruent way - two or more words in a sentence
Ex. John lost his coat and his temper
